Risk of equine infectious disease transmission by non-race horse movements in Japan.
Abstract: For determining surveillance programs or infectious disease countermeasures, risk evaluation approaches have been recently undertaken in the field of animal health. In the present study, to help establish efficient and effective surveillance and countermeasures for equine infectious diseases, we evaluated the potential risk of equine infectious disease transmission in non-race horses from the viewpoints of horse movements and health management practices by conducting a survey of non-race horse holdings. From the survey, the non-race horse population was classified into the following five sectors based on their purposes: the equestrian sector, private owner sector, exhibition sector, fattening sector and others. Our survey results showed that the equestrian and private owner sectors had the largest population sizes, and movements between and within these sectors occurred quite frequently, while there was little movement in the other sectors. Qualitative evaluation showed that the equestrian and private owner sectors had relatively high risks of equine infectious disease transmission through horse movements. Therefore, it would be effective to concentrate on these two sectors when implementing surveillance or preventative measures. Special priority should be given to the private owner sector because this sector has not implemented inspection and vaccination well compared with the equestrian sector, which possesses a high compliance rate for these practices. This qualitative risk evaluation focused on horse movements and health management practices could provide a basis for further risk evaluation to establish efficient and effective surveillance and countermeasures for equine infectious diseases.
Publication Date: 2010-02-24 PubMed ID: 20179387DOI: 10.1292/jvms.09-0447Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Animal Health
- Diagnosis
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevention
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infectious Disease
- Public Health
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
- Veterinary Science
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The study investigates the potential risk of transmission of infectious diseases in non-race horses in Japan, and recommends specific areas of focus for preventative measures based on horse population size and movement patterns.
Research Methodology
- The researchers conducted a survey of non-race horse holdings to evaluate the risk of infectious disease transmission among these horses.
- The non-race horse population was classified into five sectors based on their purposes: equestrian sector, private owner sector, exhibition sector, fattening sector, and others.
- Horse movements and health management practices were evaluated to ascertain disease transmission risks within and between the sectors.
Key Findings
- The survey results suggested that the equestrian and private owner sectors had the largest population sizes. Therefore, there was a frequent movement of horses within and between these sectors.
- Conversely, movements were minimal in the other sectors i.e. the exhibition, fattening, and other sectors.
- The researchers also qualitatively deduced that there was a relatively high risk of equine infectious disease transmission through horse movements in the equestrian and private owner sectors.
Recommendations
- The study recommends that surveillance and preventative measures should mainly focus on the equestrian and private owner sectors due to their large population sizes and frequent horse movements, which pose a higher risk of disease transmission.
- Special attention should go to the private owner sector, which has not implemented inspection and vaccination adequately, unlike the equestrian sector, where compliance rates for these practices are high.
Significance of the Study
- This research provides a foundational understanding of how disease transmission risks can be managed in non-race horse populations.
- By focusing on horse movements and health management practices, it provides a framework for more detailed risk evaluation towards establishing efficient and effective surveillance and countermeasures against equine infectious diseases.
Cite This Article
APA
Hayama Y, Kobayashi S, Nishida T, Nishiguchi A, Tsutsui T.
(2010).
Risk of equine infectious disease transmission by non-race horse movements in Japan.
J Vet Med Sci, 72(7), 839-844.
https://doi.org/10.1292/jvms.09-0447 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- National Institute of Animal Health, Ibaraki, Japan. hayama@affrc.go.jp
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Breeding
- Disease Transmission, Infectious / veterinary
- Equine Infectious Anemia / epidemiology
- Equine Infectious Anemia / transmission
- Health Status
- Horses
- Housing, Animal / standards
- Humans
- Japan
- Risk Assessment
- Surveys and Questionnaires
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Spence KL, O'Sullivan TL, Poljak Z, Greer AL. Descriptive analysis of horse movement networks during the 2015 equestrian season in Ontario, Canada. PLoS One 2019;14(7):e0219771.
- Spence KL, O'Sullivan TL, Poljak Z, Greer AL. A longitudinal study describing horse demographics and movements during a competition season in Ontario, Canada. Can Vet J 2018 Jul;59(7):783-790.
- Malik P, Singha H, Goyal SK, Khurana SK, Kumar R, Virmani N, Shanmugasundaram K, Pandey SB, Kant R, Singh BK, Singh RK. Sero-surveillance of equine infectious anemia virus in equines in India during more than a decade (1999-2012). Indian J Virol 2013 Dec;24(3):386-90.
- Rossi TM, O'Sullivan TL, Greer AL. Descriptive network analysis of Ontario, Canada equine competitions: implications for disease control. BMC Vet Res 2025 Dec 23;22(1):43.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists